The Thompson Twins - I love it!!!! Ain't no mountains in Kansas....awesome! I was born in Manhattan and I have cousins in Augusta and Overland Park. (I ended up going to CU but most of my extended family went to K-State).

Others reading these posts are going to wonder what all this has to do with 3:45 marathons. I guess I'm going to have to prove on Sunday that it actually does.

Good luck on Sunday Pete, I think you're going to PR huge. Good luck to DTF and sbpbrent as well, so many races this weekend it's hard to keep up.

I picked up my race package tonight, for the Rubber Ducky half on Sunday. I guess it's called that because it usually rains, and it's on trails. Supposed to be 16c (60ish) and sunny, well hopefully a little cooler at 9am. I did an 8km (5mi) with 6x100m strides tonight. Felt pretty good, I think I'll only do 5km slow tomorrow, better to err on the low side.

Good luck in the Half Drock! Maybe you get a rubber ducky at the finish?

Brent, this has a lot to do with a 3:45 marathon, as playing 4 hours in a bar late at night is good cross training... and yes, I do use Bloks at long gigs sometime! I used to live in Augusta! I think the IM feature here is called "Dialogs".

I've got an outdoor festival gig today, so I'm going to concentrate on that, and make today my day off for the week.

Good luck Brent. It is a busy group this weekend.Me: Arrived here and while it was raining yesterday and quite windy today, all set for carb dinner tonight and near perfect conditions tomorrow. Resting poolside while kids swim

Once again, good luck to everyone racing this weekend. Trust your training and when in doubt, slow down!

Ran my last run of the Hanson training plan this morning, a quick and easy 3 miler. After the run I had a blueberry pancake breakfast and headed down to the expo at the YMCA. The place was alive with energy and eager runners to have tomorrow morning be here NOW! I ran into some online friends via Twitter that live within 10 miles of me, but we have never meet. Great to see them and chat for a bit. I got me packet and went over to the pacer tables and chatted with them. Sure does sound like going out with the GW group will be a good idea. GW time is 3:42 and they will nail it, there is like 6 pacers for that group, one of them will hit the target on the nose. Anyway, the group will be idea for me so I can hang with them and if I feel good around 18-20, drop the hammer and head into sub-3:40 land. Forecast is looking great: start temp around 40 and only getting to 50 by noon. Rain/sprinkles should stop around start time and stay mostly-partly cloud the day.

Thanks again for all the support, advice, and inspirations over the summer. I will report back in the afternoon tomorrow!

Good luck Brent. It is a busy group this weekend.Me: Arrived here and while it was raining yesterday and quite windy today, all set for carb dinner tonight and near perfect conditions tomorrow. Resting poolside while kids swim

Thanks, and nail it Kevin! Sounds like your conditions are great. Best of luck to you!

Originally Posted by Honkygrass

Brent, this has a lot to do with a 3:45 marathon, as playing 4 hours in a bar late at night is good cross training... and yes, I do use Bloks at long gigs sometime!

Thanks Dean! I have my eye on Abilene next year and I will be interested in your thoughts on that race.........

But first, there's this little matter of the Denver RnR tomorrow. This is my 7th marathon and it's going to be the first where I get to sleep in my own bed the night before. The weather looks a little cool at the start which I will like. I will post sometime tomorrow.

Brent, Abilene is going to be my next marathon! I did it this spring and loved it. The only negative is that it's the half marathon course twice... you actually cross the finish line, and the half runners are done, and the full runners keep going for lap #2. Mile 14 it pretty tough mentally, but once you get back out of town, you settle right back into it. It's very flat, but not as flat as Prairie Fire. But miles 23-25 are all downhill and 26 is flat. The town support is second to none, and I've never ran a marathon with more aid stations. If it's cool and not windy, It's a super PR or BQ course. However, being out in the country, if it's windy it can be a lot tougher.

It was a day off for me! Music, greasy double hamburger and fries, chocolate shake and laziness.

TigerFan-hope you kick butt today to make up for the Tiger loss last night

Drock-Good Luck on your 1/2 today!

SS-quad is feeling much better, thanks for asking. still feeling a little "something" going on, almost like a slight weakness?? finishing up a 38 mile week (24 & 23 the previous 2 weeks) may be pushing it a little, but my body (&my mind for sure)seems to crave around that amount.

finished....tale of 2 halfs. strange experience. I'm contemplating writing a report but I was humbled by the experience and my time is not what I wanted it to be. Hardest thing i've ever done in my life, that is for sure. But, I am now a marathon finisher, so there's that.

Way to finish John! And nice job Kevin! Negative split is impressive! Looking forward to hearing more! I was tracking Brent, but I won't spoil his report!

I went out for a easy 4 miles with 10 mile bike ride today. So post marathon week 1 is in the books with 11 run miles and 60 bike miles. I feel great, and ready to start getting back into it in a couple weeks.

Just got home: 3:44:20 Boom! 54min PR. Ran a 6min positive split, slowed a bit on the back half. Will have a full report soon. Thanks again for all support, advice, and kudos all summer. Looking forward to see what I do next.

John - I had a disappointing first marathon as well, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Pete - that must feel so good, huge PR!

Kevin - that's a good first marathon, your training really paid off.

me - Ran the Rubber Ducky Half today, 2x around Burnaby Lake, went out a little fast, and faded at the end, finished around 1:46:30, don't have my chip time yet. I ran a good pace for the first 10k, under 5:00/km, my Garmin wasn't syncing at all with the distance markers, so was a little difficult to guage speed. Was following a couple people for the first 10k, and the pace was almost perfect. Started fading around km 13. A guy passed me here, and I thought I'd never see him again, passed him at km 19. I took a gel at km 14 and got my energy back a little. Was cramping a little in my calf, didn't help that this puppy kept running in front of me, so I had to swerve around him a few times. Felt the cramp a bit going up some stairs at the bridge too. Around 15km the group that I was running with, and a couple I had passed, passed me. I think they were about a minute ahead of me by the end.

It was a good test of 4:50/km pace, which I think is slightly too fast for me. That's what McMillan says I should be able to do based on my 10k race results. I think my endurance falls off pretty quickly, so probably going to go for more of a 3:50-3:55 for my marathon.

Congrats to you and Pete for meeting your goal. And congrats to John for completing your first.

Although I PR'ed and got sub-4 (barely at 3:59:13), I am pretty disappointed that I was 14 minutes over my goal (not coincidentally, a 14 min positive split). After following the 3:45 pacer, things went downhill at mile 18. I thought I was well prepared, so guess I will have to think about whether I made a mistake during the race, or that was I not prepared as I thought.

As I write this, I'm neither disappointed by falling short of 3:45 nor happy about my PR. I'm absolutely amazed I even completed this race. I had all kinds of problems. At the expo. I asked if I was in the right corral for the 3:45 pace group. One guy (who obviously wasn't a runner) was saying something about a van that picks up runners if they fall too far behind the maximum finish. A girl next to him said I would be close enough.

As it turned out. I was a couple corrals back, but that wasn't the big problem. The big problem was they had a lot of runners in the wrong corrals at the start. In addition, they started the 1/2M the 3.7 mile “mini-marathon” at the same time as the marathon, so I was moving laterally as much as I was moving ahead to get around a lot of slow traffic. That caused my old groin muscle injury from last year to flare up again.

I must have overcompensated for it, because after that, my calf started to ache. I swallowed Gatorade from what was supposed to be a water cup, and then my stomach started feeling like I was going to barf. (Gatorade usually bothers my stomach). As I felt increasingly worse, I began to fear the GI issue that every runner dreads (the big “D"). All this happened by Mile 8. If this had been a long run, I would have just shut it down and lived to fight another day. I was wondering how I was going to explain a DNF on my first RR here. I didn't think there was any possible way I was going to finish. I just kept trying to run.

At about Mile 17, the race goes through Denver's Washington Park where it circles two miles around some large ponds. That's when the cold front that had been forecast showed up. The cold wind was made colder blowing over the ponds and my hands were starting to go numb. I don't know how I made it to Mile 22, but when I did, I felt a little better. I remember thinking that the last 4.2 miles couldn't possibly make me feel any worse than the first 22. I think I've read that after 22 miles, your body runs on stored body fat. That may be why I felt better. My body wasn't trying to do any more with the Gatorade at that point.

I really can't believe I finished that race. I just hope the rest of today's racers had a better run than I had. I am going to sit in bed and watch football. Have a great week, everybody!

John, the best part of having really trashy races, is that the next one is always really good.

Drock, very respectable half, and way to take home the hardware RF1!!!

Damn Brent... when I was reading your FB updates, I had no idea you were running the Denver race from hell! Man, that's one heck of a way to pull it out, and still PR. One of the reasons I really enjoyed Abilene (and am going back) was the at there are less than 200 full marathon runners and there was none of the big city confusions. Really nice job of pulling out a real mess of a day!

I did 3:57 today at my race, a PR by ~ 9 minutes and couldn't be more pleased ! I ran my first negative split and didn't know it until after the race ! (I ended up running the tunnel on mile 8 slow due to lack of GPS signal and ran 13-26 at GMP)

I have my draft race review here - it's kind of detailed and can be found on the link, so I may post a shorter one on here later but can be found here for now - wanted to get some draft notes on paper before I forget http://davesdigitaldestinations.blogspot.com/

You wouldn't believe all the mental tricks had to do today after mile 13 to hit my pace. Maybe you've had the same thing happen. I used thoughts of my HM tune up race in Sept to help guide me and other tricks

Honky - I decided to put more shot bloks in my belt this year (relied less on them during training so it was a risk on race day) but alternated GU's and Clif shot bloks during the race and it really helped keep my stomach calm this year !

Great race DTF!!! And I loved your race report! Kind of cool running "under water"!!! Nice pacing, way to keep it solid early, and very nice rally at the end! Congratulations on your PR! I'm glad the Shot Bloks worked out for you!

To clarify, the MCM is October 27 and it's on! I'm still not completely sure that I'm doing it. I have this mental pro-con list in my head. Pros: One of the country's most-talked about marathons, it would be my first big marathon (30k runners), I'm already registered and it's going to be harder to get into in subsequent years with a lottery system, and I'm a townie so I don't have travel expenses. Cons: It starts five minutes short of three weeks after the start of the Twin Cities Marathon, don't want to tempt fate, and I don't want to be discouraged if I get excited and start racing it and run slower than my TCM time. To be honest, though, I keep going back to the fact that Semper Fudge and Honky ran practice marathons as part of their training cycles. Is it crazy to just go out and run 26.2 miles just for fun without a time goal in mind? I'm not sure.

The number of people who raced their marathons recently is so large, I'll probably miss some people. But great job DTF, brent, John, JAR, Pete, and Kevin!!! Your PRs and races are inspiring! DTF... Way to gut it out after mile 13 to stay on pace! Brent... I'm sorry that people brought some negative energy to the party. Marathons are supposed to be a celebration of months/years of effort. JAR... Don't be too discouraged; getting under four hours is an accomplishment by itself! Pete... When I improved my PR by 43 minutes, I was pretty sure that I'd hold the dubious distinction of "most improved" this year but congratulations on crushing your PR by over 50 minutes! That's incredible!!! Kevin... Negative splitting in a marathon is sort of like in the land of unicorns and leprechauns. Nice job!

Drock... Great job on your half! I love that the name of that race!

The earth is certainly vast and broad, though a man uses no more of it than the area he puts his feet on. (Chuang Tzu)

CT, if you've already paid, for goodness sakes get out there and run! . And I would be more impressed if you write a race report about helping pace a 4:30 first timer, that you met at the starting line, to their goal... than I would about reading how you got hurt trying to PR. Run easy and have fun and encourage the runners around you.

I hope all yesterday's runners are feeling ok today! Remember, going down the steps backwards is a lot easier than forewords!

Brent - Nice race and I completely agree with you about the corrals. Nothing more annoying starting at the 4:00hr pacer or 3:50hr pacer and coming across Run / Walkers at mile 2 or 3. Please people! Lol!

DTF - Sub 4:00hrs! Even though you haven't been hyper active here, I feel like we go back 2-3 years before RWOL crashed. Way to slay the 4:00hr mark and if you plan to keep running everything just becomes easier. Well not easier by 'definition' but you've gotten that Monkey off your back now!

Pete - Brother from another Mother! I am dang happy you did it! I'll have to read your RR, but it appears you ran a very wise and thoughtful race! You know part of me believes my deathmarch set you up for success You know I'm kidding right buddy!!!! (sorta kidding )

Me - I've got a couple runs left! 5 Days until Monster Dash Half! Largest Half Marathon in Minnesota so it'll be a blast. Can't decide if I'm recovered enough for a 1:35hr attempt or maybe plan on 1:37hr pace from the go and see if I can kick it down deeper in the race. Haven't decided yet.

I haven't checked in in a while but I will be at the MCM on Sunday and I am looking forward to it. Over the past few weeks, I ran two HMs and set PRs in both, first at 1:40:15 and then a couple weeks later at 1:38:12. I've done a few long runs since the start of September at 18 miles or more and have felt strong for each of them, including a 22 miler at an 8:01/mile pace.

I've signed up to run with the 3:45 pace group in the MCM but have been seriously considering aiming for the 3:35 group instead. Am I crazy? My other idea is stick with the 3:45 group and try to really push myself for the final 10k. However, if I were to go that route, I could easily see myself overdoing it and hitting a wall about a mile or two into that final stretch.

I'm looking forward to DC... such a great town!

And DTF - I liked your full race review for Detroit. I haven't run that race in a few years but I'm planning to do so again next year. I was tempted to register for the half about a month ago and just do it nice and slow and use it as an opportunity to take cheesy pictures on top of the bridge but by the time I actually got around to doing so it was sold out.

Hi all, here is the race report from the 10th edition of the PEI Marathon. Sorry for the length.

Awoke at 5:45 a.m. for 8 a.m. start, got ready and was not thinking much as everything was laid out the previous night. Got dressed quickly, said goodbye to my wife, who was running the half and off I went. It is a point to point race, so we were transported by a bus convoy, that was leaving at 7 a.m. to the start line.

The rest of the races, including my wife’s half were looped courses, starting and finishing near the marathon finish line.

As it was, nerves meant I was one of the first in the general finish area and saw the crew assembling staging, etc for the race. Saw the temp at 7C. It eventually hit 14C. I got a bagel, drank water I took with me, and was walking near a hotel when I spotted a friend of my wife’s friends, who was aiming for her BQ (she needed to shave two minutes, which she did by running 3:48). I said hi, sat for a few minutes but realized I forgot my Garmin at hotel (within walking distance). Not a good sign I thought.

After retrieving it, I then walked with a veteran racer down toward the bus convoy, almost getting clipped by a car as I was totally distracted. Another bad sign. I asked the woman, who had completed the PEI route many times as well as others, what her impressions were compared to others and what stuck out was this response. “Oh, it’s a hard course.”

So despite the minor Garmin hiccup, the timing was all good. I went to the washroom, boarded one of 5 buses and off we went.

One organizer welcomed us and asked if we were ready and the response from someone behind me was “Oh my God.”

Took about 30 minutes to get there and – my only concern – was there was a 25-minute line for the five bathroom stalls for the men. Similar lines for women.

10 minutes before for the start, I was still in line but it all worked out. While waiting, had a gel and applied body glide. Very necessary in the past I have learned.

The game plan was to go conservative, try to ensure a sub-4 and anything else would bonus. Sticking in my head was advice from this forum, particularly from Honky and others - ‘Go easy for 22 miles and then evaluate’.

I aligned with the 4-hr pacebunny after the scrambled beginnings and tried to stick with her but early on, I was not comfortable with the pacing of the 10 and 1, so I went on my own, pretty much.

Reasonably small field of 300.

The highlights: 3:55.16, PB by 18 minutes. Gun time: 3:55:37. First half gun time of 1:58:28; Second half gun time, 1:57.09. Was in 147th place at the half, 107th place overall.

Final KM was 5:10. Garmin measured course at 42:26. Final .26km, I hit 3:30 pace in my sprint. I had a lot left at the end.

31 of 42.26 kms were paced between 5:30 and 5:41, just two were above and eight were between 5:20-5:29.

Flat section along beach, wind can be a factor, not Sunday. Took 3-4 km to warm up and there was a hint of potential GI problems – this was a factor for first 30 km but I never did have to duck off course! A few minor hills, settled in after 5 km and had a decent rhythm. Slightly cloudy conditions but sun was breaking through for some great scenery.

Still on the paved road section, more gorgeous views. It was very twisting and turning but I felt comfortable throughout. Chatted up one runner from area I used to live, and really, the good thing through this mostly flat but with a few hills section was my comfort level. I kept telling myself not to bank time. First marathon bonking memories were still fresh and I did not want to experience that again. Of note, not a lot of spectators but since there was a relay component to the race, at every changeover point, there was a lot of energy and people. Some stops featured bagpipers, others had a DJ rocking the tunes! There was always a surge in pace in these areas.

21-30 km approx 55:27 (5:28 (gel at 21k), 5:35, 5:36, 5:29, 5;33, 5:29, 5:30, 5;35 (gel at 28 km), 5;38, 5:29). The halfway point, we hit the trails and it was a gorgeous run as the leaves were colourful and the winds still had not arrived. The potential GI issues were creeping back but again, it did not materialize. I did run with one lady for at 8-10 km in one of those unspoken, ‘let’s run together’ kind of ways. Turns out she finished in 3:58:xx and qualified for Boston. Very nice. After I got to 25km, my inner coach had arrived, ‘you worked for this, stay focused, stay patient.’

One great sign that was posted in this section of the course said “Trust Your Training.” The timing was perfect.

The trail ended at approx 33 or 34 km and then it was time for the signature three-hill segment of the course, from 36-40 km marks. Prior to getting there, the head wind picked up (I am guessing 15-20 km per hr). Also, part of that segment, the route went through a cemetery (to which I told volunteers, that was not a good omen LOL). The first of the hills seemed like 400-500 metres and I managed to keep pace. That was followed by a long stretch of 1.2 km, which also featured growing crowd numbers. At 38 km, came the toughest hill in my opinion, approx 500 metres with a steep section in the middle. The winds were noticeable but going up those hills was as much self coaching I have ever done – telling myself I was not about to blow the training plan now.

After the second hill, there was about a 750m straightaway and downhill section before the third and final hill ended essentially at the 40 km mark. I slowed but not by much as evidenced by the 5:45, 5:44 times above. I was in great shape, feeling good with a hint of emotion creeping in for the first time. I was at 3:43:40 and I was going to hit my goal.

Or so I thought:

41-Finish approx 11:40 (5:26, 5:10, 4:13)

Just after the hills ended, two photographers were snapping photos, I assume for marathonphotos.com. I was really pleased and mugged for the first and just as I was set to mug for the second, I felt a pull in my right calf. It scared the crap out of me. I took two steps, fearing the worst. Thankfully, mercifully, it went away - no tear or pull, just a shock to the cardio system!

“No celebrating yet,’’ I scolded myself.

Of note, once the trails ended, we were running with the half marathoners and it providing a great opportunity to pass. I think I passed 55 in the final 10 km and was only passed by three. One of those walked up the hills and then sprinted past me on the downhills – three times and after my leg pull, she was about 75 metres ahead in the final stage. Once I recovered from the scare and felt good, I used her as a gauge to try and pass in the home stretch. Little did I know how much I had left and I was flying when I crossed the finish line. It was a powerful feeling.

Chip time 3:55:16; Gun time, 3:55.37.

24 hours later, after visiting family, a longer than normal 5-hr drive home and general lazing around, my thighs are super tight and I have slight ache in my right foot and knee. But I am much farther ahead in recovery already than the first one.

So thanks to Pfitzner’s plan (and the advice and content of this board), I hit the goal. Maybe 3:45 is out there. For now though, I am quite satisfied.

John- good job finishing, marathons are just a special thing. My first was incredibly difficult and I was pretty sure I would be one and done, but I keep coming back..

Drock- a puppy? How distracting! Nice finish despite the dog!

Cook- MCM was my first marathon and despite my run being awful (4:50... so much pain...), the course is ridiculous and the huge marathon atmosphere is something I'll never forget. There are so many Marines around and lots of inspiring runners who are running for POWs, etc. If you're up for it, I say do it for "fun"!

Me- I signed up for the NCR Trail Marathon in middle-of-nowhere Maryland. Nov 30. just under 6 weeks to get 3 minutes faster.

Running for a lifetime not a race time

Kevin - Great RR and congrats again on hitting your goal. You ran a great race and stuck to your plan pretty well I think.

Sunday - It is coming at the bottom link here!

Semper - Wow a 22 miler at 8:01/m that is flying along! If you think you can even split the 3:35 that might be the route to go. But I guess it depends on what you would go for running with the 3:45 and pushing hard at the end (around 22m?) I don't think you could get to 3:35 at that point.

Mac - You are the man! How have your runs lately been feeling? That is a tough call on a 2 min difference for goals. I sure did take part of your advice on race day, but I still went out to fast...but I recovered somehow to have a good race.

Honky - I am actually moving around and going down stairs forward somewhat ok...did I just sandbag my race???

DTF - Man great job on the PR and sub-4! I remember us chatting on the forums a couple of years ago about going sub-4. LOL on the smells of the tunnel, even outdoors in GR it was bad at times! You did an awesome job battling the negative thoughts and an area I plan to work on. You gave me some great ideas in this area. Also, the signs were great, I saw a few of the "you run better than the government" over here in GR. Again well done on a 3yr journey to your goal!

Me - Resting and relaxing today. My legs are sore and walking is better than expected. The worst part right now is the horrible chaffing from the arm warmers still! I did finish up my RR and it is at the link below. Besides taking some time off right now to recover, I am already starting to think about spring races and getting faster! I really want a BQ now! But boy is that going to be a lot of work. Thanks again for all the support and fun times here. I plan on sticking around for a while!

Columbus Marathon race report

Johnincolumbus

October 20, 2013

Pre-race

Traffic was a nightmare and we all worried we’d make it in time to gear check, get in our corrals, and get our bowels moved in time for the race. To make many small stories short, we did. And the race started on time and we were off in the chilly morning air along with 19,000 other people.

Miles 1-15

This part of the race seemed to fly by. Probably because it was indeed flying. My time at the half was 1:50:45, an average pace of about 8:27 per mile, or far too fast. I think part of the problem was running along with the half marathoners. I got caught up in the pace, felt very good, and just let myself really go. My brother and friend were also right there with me, so I think I assumed that I could keep up at least something similar for the rest of the race. The weather was crisp, the crowds were pretty loud and encouraging, the bands along the way were fun, and things seemed to be going well. I knew I was going too fast though. I didn’t listen to my instincts.

Miles 16-26

I hit the wall not too long after mile 16. Initially I could feel my calves tightening up. This was an odd sensation because my muscles have almost never tightened up, especially not like this. I could almost sense the oncoming difficulty. I could tell that the lactic acid was building up. It was very frustrating because I have run past 16 miles probably 10 times before, all with no difficulty at all. At this point I was a little behind my friends and was trying to keep them in view. The lactic acid buildup was slowing me down a lot but I was still moving.

I don’t remember exactly where the cramping started, but when it hit, it hit hard. I have never really experienced cramping in any fashion, much less in my legs while running. I think what happened was when I went to speed up a little bit, and either got a cramp in my quad or in my hamstring or in my calves, or all at the same time. Either way they almost knocked me off my feet. My pace immediately dropped and I began my 8 mile hobble mixed with walking and massaging/stretching.

The muscle cramps were with me the rest of the way. I had to alter my running motion to minimize the possibility of major cramps crippling me. Every few minutes I would stop for a few seconds to try to stretch or massage my legs. After a while I realized this didn’t help.

All the while this was going on, I was realizing that my pace was falling dramatically behind where I wanted to be, and my friends were far up ahead. I began to get very discouraged. The distance I still had to go seemed beyond daunting. I wanted to simply give up and walk the rest of the way. Just moving at all was a struggle.

It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. Every step hurt. My back pain was rivaling my leg pain at this point. Every step felt like I had a broken foot, especially my left foot. I suspected that I was getting blisters, but the pain wasn’t severe enough to really warrant attention. My head was pounding as well.

I began to walk before every aid station, take a drink of water and/or Gatorade, sometimes both. The walk breaks got longer the further I went. Every time I walked, I tried to remember that the pain seemed to be just as bad if I was hobbling or if I was walking. All I wanted to do at this point was to be done with the race, so I tried to use that as motivation as well. The sooner I get this thing over with the sooner I can be NOT running and eating/drinking something.

Slowly, somehow, the miles dragged by. It was a sad combination of hobbling/walking/limping/ and hoping for some relief from the cramping. Every time I tried to really “run” at all, the cramps would hit hard. They kept my pace in the 9s at my absolute fastest, but most of the time far slower. I was passed by hundreds of people, but what felt like every pace team in the entire race.

The texts from my wife and friends were coming in now, they must have sensed my struggles. The supporters and crowd were great, but I don’t think they really helped much. I knew what I had to do, and that was just keep going, no matter what the pain was.

Eventually I got to mile 25, and did my best attempt to hit the 4 hr mark, but it was not to be. I was passed by the 4 hr pace team (even though I don’t believe they made it in under 4 either). I was able to at least hobble to a reasonable pace that last half mile, although it was agonizing.

My finish was the opposite of how I thought it would be. I know I had friends watching, but I felt alone, like I failed, and miserable. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was very emotional, which is completely unlike me.

I am starting to feel better about finishing, but I still feel like I did so many things wrong and blew my chance of meeting almost all but the smallest of my goals. It was a very humbling experience for me. I was broken out on that course. Were my expectations too high? In hindsight, probably. I would do many things differently. Will I run another marathon? My initial instinct was “absolutely not”. However, I will see how I feel in a few weeks. I really do not like the idea of my only marathon being 4:02. I may have to fix the mistakes I made and attempt another one in the next year or so. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done at least physically and maybe mentally too.

Splits (according to Runkeeper, which may be off slightly since it said I ran 26.66 miles)

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